As Qingyang carried the wooden box outside, he quietly reminded himself that when he returned to his hometown in the future, he must treat his own wife with extra care and consideration — otherwise, he might lose his head without even knowing how it had happened…

But that Cao Pei’er was truly no simple person. After getting nowhere in her demands to see the Shizi, she turned to requesting an audience with the Shizi’s consort instead.

Su Luoyun chose an afternoon, brought along her personal maidservants and guards, and entered the alley where Cao Pei’er was temporarily lodging under the guise of taking a leisurely stroll — attracting no notice whatsoever — and met with her there.

Cao Pei’er ate heartily of the food and dishes Su Luoyun had brought, let out a satisfied belch, and said: “The food from the prince’s residence really is exquisite. That great pot-cooking at the camp could never produce anything like this.”

Having said that, she looked Su Luoyun up and down, and asked with puzzlement: “Your eyes — they have healed?”

Su Luoyun smiled slightly and said: “Many thanks for Miss Cao’s concern. My eyes have recovered fully.”

Cao Pei’er continued to look her up and down. Thinking of how her own romantic fate had come to such a wretched end, while the woman before her seemed to have everything going smoothly and perfectly — a pang of bitterness rose at once in her heart.

A cunning expression crossed her face, and she said with prickling envy: “You really do have fine luck! I hear you were not born into high station, yet you managed to marry into the imperial clan’s bloodline and ended up with such a strikingly handsome husband — that truly is a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse…”

Su Luoyun showed no sign of being provoked, and remained as composed as ever: “Miss Cao asked me to come — what is the matter you wished to discuss?”

Cao Pei’er pursed her lips in a smirk: “I delivered such a great token of allegiance — naturally I expect a reward. Doesn’t the wanted notice say that Qiu Zhen’s head is worth five hundred taels of silver? It can’t be that your husband gets all the credit while I walk away empty-handed, surely?”

At that, Su Luoyun smiled slightly. From within her garments she produced two banknotes and handed them to Cao Pei’er: “These are banknotes for eight hundred taels, redeemable throughout various regions. Please take them, Miss, for clothing and ornaments.”

Cao Pei’er took them with some doubt, then said in a low voice: “You really are that wealthy? You carry banknotes on your person at all times?”

Su Luoyun said gently: “I had them prepared for you all along. Shortly someone will escort you to find your parents — I reckoned that if you had no money on your person, it would be inconvenient. I also had people buy you a complete set of clothing, inside and out. I’m not sure whether the sizes will fit. Once you get there, if there is anything else you need, Miss, simply mention it to the people with you.”

Cao Pei’er had felt somewhat ashamed of herself in the presence of such a beautiful woman, and her words had carried a sharpness to them. But she had not expected that the woman before her — carrying herself with such an air of nobility — would continue speaking with such calm composure, without the slightest hint of contempt or disdain.

As it turned out, the woman had already been generous, preparing money and clothing for her well in advance. With such thoughtfulness and care, it would be utterly pointless of her to keep on being sharp-tongued.

This period of time had not been easy for Cao Pei’er. She had been hiding and moving constantly, carrying Qiu Zhen’s severed head at her side all the while, and at night she was wracked by convulsions of fright that left her unable to sleep.

Now, in this neat and tidy small courtyard, facing a soft-spoken and beautiful woman, she felt a fleeting sense of having been reborn into a new life — the taut nerves she had been holding rigid for so long finally began, at last, to ease.

When she heard Su Luoyun say she would be sent to find her father, Cao Pei’er’s voice finally caught in her throat: “I wonder whether Father will… forgive me… Qiu Zhen harmed him so terribly, yet I was blinded with infatuation all along, taking that scoundrel for a husband…”

Su Luoyun took her hand and said gently: “My own father showed his children little affection, and my mother passed away early. In the matter of parental bonds, Miss Cao is far more fortunate than I am. I have heard that Commander Cao has never stopped thinking of you — sometimes when he dreams, your name is on his lips. To have someone carrying you in their heart is the greatest happiness of all. You have escaped the clutches of those villains now, Miss. There is no need to dwell on what has passed — let it all go and forget it. From now on, tend well to your parents, and find someone who truly and wholeheartedly cherishes you to marry… The good days of your life have only just begun.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Pei’er laughed out with a bright, unguarded sound: “So there are things about me that you envy after all?”

Su Luoyun smiled: “There is a great deal to envy. Above all else, the fortitude and courage you have shown — I could not begin to match it.”

There is an art to offering a compliment — it must land in the right place. These words settled warmly in Cao Pei’er’s heart. After all, how many women in the world could cut down the man who had wronged them without a moment’s hesitation?

In this Shizi’s consort’s eyes, she was surely something like a heroine of the jianghu, was she not?

Though she and this Shizi’s consort had no deep prior acquaintance, they found each other remarkably well-matched in spirit — there was almost a feeling of regret that they had not met sooner.

At the time of parting, Cao Pei’er felt that she had taken the other woman’s silver for nothing and had nothing to give in return. So she reached into her garments and produced what remained of the knockout drug — more than half a packet — and offered it to Su Luoyun with warmth: “This is excellent for self-protection — let me give it to you. You are so beautiful, and in these turbulent times of war and upheaval, it is best to have something at hand to keep yourself safe…”

Su Luoyun had no need of such a thing, and was just about to decline when Cao Pei’er hesitated and added: “If you do not want this, then all I have left is that sickle I used to cut down the faithless one. Though from what I can see, the Shizi treats you very well — so you likely would not have occasion to use it any time soon…”

Well, yes — on reflection, accepting the knockout drug was rather the more dignified choice of the two. And so Su Luoyun thanked her solemnly and accepted this unique gift of friendship between women.

After taking her leave of Miss Cao in this manner, Han Linfeng also arranged for a carriage to take Cao Pei’er on her way.

He was truly unable to extricate himself right now, and could only entrust these matters to Su Luoyun to handle.

This campaign of defensive engagement and pursuit had lasted nearly half a month, with Zhao Dong leading his army forward in a sweeping advance, cleaving through opposition as readily as splitting bamboo.

Yet Zhao Dong understood in his heart that this campaign had unfolded with such seamless ease entirely because someone had first fought a brilliant encirclement engagement at Wild Boar Ridge — extinguishing the rebel forces’ spirit in one stroke, and opening the entire counteroffensive with an ideal beginning.

Every time this thought came to him, Zhao Dong felt a pang of humility.

Although his son Zhao Guibei had recounted to him the various exploits of this Shizi who concealed his true depths, Zhao Dong had always felt that his son was prone to exaggeration.

The Guizi Forest engagement had seemed to owe something to fortuitous luck, and while Han Linfeng certainly had a measure of cleverness, he was still far from being a commander of true strategic genius.

The facts, however, had proven him wrong: Han Linfeng was indeed a man of extraordinary brilliance in the use of troops!

He had read the greedy nature of Qiu Zhen — a man of bandit origins — with complete precision.

Those cartloads of grain and supplies, and the gold and silver transported from wherever he had procured them, were indeed rich and fragrant enough to lure in a hungry and ravenous wolf.

And the stratagem of the straw figures — a bold deception that hid the sky and crossed the sea — had pushed the manipulation of the human heart to its absolute limit.

It was precisely because in the earlier Guizi Forest battle, those rebel soldiers had already encountered the straw figures and been deceived by them to no small degree, that they assumed Han Linfeng was reverting to an old trick. Straw figures all along the way had gradually lulled and numbed their vigilance. And so when real soldiers disguised themselves as straw figures, by the time the rebels noticed, it was already too late — they had long since entered the valley terrain that was perfectly suited for an ambush.

Han Linfeng had not even drawn upon any of Zhao Dong’s forces holding Jingzhou; relying solely on the several hundred soldiers of the Qianxi supply camp, he had routed Qiu Zhen’s main force of a thousand — sending the rebels fleeing in utter disorder, their armor discarded, their spirits broken.

The moment Han Linfeng’s operation succeeded, he immediately fired signal flares into the sky. Zhao Dong, standing watch on the walls of Jingzhou, at once launched an assault on the rebel encampment outside the city.

And so, through this perfectly coordinated sequence of action, the victory of retaking Jiayong Prefecture was secured.

Zhao Dong now understood that this had been no stroke of luck on Han Linfeng’s part. Within that stratagem that seemed almost like conjuring spirits, there lay solid, painstaking craftsmanship. The soldiers disguised as straw figures had not taken up their positions at the last moment — they had been lying in wait on Wild Boar Ridge for several days in that manner.

To keep so many soldiers absolutely motionless as the enemy drew near required rigorous training in ordinary times, the kind that could forge such a corps of iron-disciplined warriors.

That single engagement had won Zhao Dong’s full and wholehearted admiration.

When General Zhao next laid eyes on Han Linfeng, his gaze was blazing as he looked him up and down again and again — like a man of appreciative taste who has just discovered a matchless beauty, and cannot seem to get enough of looking…

Yet when Han Linfeng made plain his reason for coming, Zhao Dong’s brow furrowed once more.

For what Han Linfeng proposed this time was clearing Cao Sheng’s name and arranging for the court to grant an amnesty and formal surrender.

Han Linfeng understood Zhao Dong’s character — he was not a man given to rhetorical maneuvering — and so he spoke with him frankly and openly: “Cao Sheng has long enjoyed a fine reputation among the common people. When he commanded the rebel forces, his sole purpose was the recovery of lost territory, and he never once touched so much as a hair on any commoner’s head. Even now, when men of integrity and righteousness among the people speak of Cao Sheng, they speak of him with nothing but praise. Yet now the bandit Qiu Zhen has usurped the rebel army and repeatedly attacked the cities of Great Wei. Although by good fortune I won a resounding victory at Wild Boar Ridge and broke the rebel forces’ momentum, if we cannot press our advantage and recover all lost territory in a single sustained push, then should the Tiefu people seize upon this moment of weakness to strike, the course of the war ahead would become difficult to control.”

Zhao Dong considered for a moment and said: “What does this have to do with an amnesty and surrender? As you yourself have said, Cao Sheng has already lost his footing within the rebel army. Even if I were willing to agree, the court may not necessarily comply.”

Han Linfeng said with steady composure: “If he surrenders alone, the court will certainly refuse. But if he can bring the rebel army to surrender alongside him — would that not carry sufficient weight? The prestige that Cao Sheng has built within the rebel army far exceeds anything you or I might imagine. If it can be properly put to use, this internal strife might be brought to an end all the sooner… And now, spring is nearly upon us, when the cattle and sheep begin their roaming grazes. Does the General suppose that those greedy-by-nature Tiefu will remain still, resisting the temptation to seize a share of Great Wei’s internal troubles?”

These words struck directly at Zhao Dong’s deepest convictions. He had always been a resolute advocate for the war of recovery. Many a night when he woke from sleep, he would gaze at the map and the homeland lost for decades, and heave a long, mournful sigh.

Now, Zhao Dong had finally regained command of troops and come to the front lines after so much difficulty — if it was all to be used only for putting down rebels, what would be the point?

Although the rebel army under Qiu Zhen’s leadership had been routed and was in flight, their territory was vast. Once they regrouped and reorganized for a standoff, it would still take considerable time to deal with them.

If the rebel army could be wholly brought back to the fold, it would mean recovering the nearly ten prefectures that the rebel army had occupied. And should they then press their advantage northward in a single sustained drive, the recovery of the remaining ten prefectures would be within reach in no time at all!

The nightmare that had haunted the hearts of Great Wei’s people for decades might then be dissolved in a single morning…

At that thought, even Zhao Dong’s heart could not help but stir with longing.

Yet after a moment’s reflection, he said: “But the rebel army’s leader right now is Qiu Zhen. How can you be certain they would accept Cao Sheng, let alone heed his call to submit to the court?”

Han Linfeng smiled slightly, waved his hand to signal Qingyang behind him to pass forward a wooden box, and then indicated for Zhao Dong to look: “Grand General, please — who is this person?”

Zhao Dong fixed his gaze, and there, lying plain to see within the box, was a head wrapped in lime.

Zhao Dong had once glimpsed Qiu Zhen from a distance atop the city wall. The man then had been strikingly handsome in appearance — so why did the face of this severed head bear several sword-slash scars?

Yet the brow and eyes were unmistakably correct. When veteran officers from the army were brought to make a further identification, they confirmed beyond any doubt that it was indeed Qiu Zhen himself.

Once Zhao Dong was certain, he could not contain his great elation, and pressed Han Linfeng eagerly as to how this had come about.

Han Linfeng was silent for a moment, then said: “This is Cao Sheng’s daughter, who endured hardship while concealing her purpose, lying in wait at the bandit Qiu Zhen’s side, and seized upon the moment of his injury to cut off his head — a token of allegiance presented to the General.”

With this token of allegiance, it was ample proof that Cao Sheng was not of the same corrupt character as Qiu Zhen and his ilk. And Qiu Zhen’s various transgressions against the court could now be cleanly separated from the rebel army as a whole.

Zhao Dong gave a satisfied nod. He felt that with this severed head in hand, when he next petitioned the court to discuss the surrender and amnesty of the rebel army for a united front against the Tiefu, there was finally a tangible basis on which to proceed.

But just then, an express dispatch traveling eight hundred li was delivered to Zhao Dong’s encampment.

After Zhao Dong unfolded and read the document, the gravity in his expression deepened with each line. When he reached the end, he raised his head and said slowly: “The matter you proposed just now… it would be best not to raise it again. I fear that at present, you have a troublesome legal entanglement of your own to contend with…”

For accompanying the eight hundred li express dispatch were also specially appointed imperial camp inspectors — several officials transferred from Huicheng — whose primary purpose was to investigate the large quantity of gold and silver at the Qianxi supply camp whose origins could not be accounted for.

The officials who had come from the court this time bore ill intent. Word had reached them that those camp inspectors had already gone first to the Beizhen Prince’s residence to take the depositions of the prince and his household members.

Zhao Dong’s side had only now received word of this. He would not have given credence to such accusations before, yet now… he felt that Han Linfeng and Cao Sheng might truly have a close private relationship, and that if the court pressed its investigation, Han Linfeng would be in no small amount of trouble.

In the past, Zhao Dong would have felt nothing about such matters. But now, having discovered that Han Linfeng was a supremely gifted commander, to see such a man entangled in this sort of sordid mess filled Zhao Dong with a sense of helpless indignation — and he was even somewhat vexed at Han Linfeng for his careless inattention to appearances, allowing people to seize upon such a handle against him.

Han Linfeng took the document and read it through from beginning to end, then said: “Since the inspectors went first to the prince’s residence, it is proper that I should also return to the Qianxi supply camp to submit to questioning… As for what I proposed just now, I ask to defer the discussion with the Grand General to a later time.”

With those words, he took his leave of Zhao Dong and rode at full gallop back toward Liangzhou.

Now, back in Liangzhou, a large contingent of officials from Huizhou had indeed arrived and split into two groups to conduct a thorough investigation into the Beizhen Shizi’s alleged secret collusion with the enemy.

One group went to the Qianxi supply camp to audit and seize the silver tallies and inventory records. The two principal presiding inspectors meanwhile made their way to the prince’s residence to first question the prince.

When a company of men sealed the gates of the prince’s residence and the two inspectors, imperial edict in hand, declared themselves to be conducting an imperially-sanctioned investigation, the entire household was thrown into a degree of agitation.

The Princely Consort, who had been confined to bed with illness, was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on her again, and she urgently bid Su Luoyun take the maidservants to listen for any news from the front hall.

Lord Beizhen, having respectfully heard out the imperial edict, felt his heart lurch — but on his face he showed no change of expression whatsoever. He merely stated that Han Linfeng had never once transported any gold or silver from the Qianxi supply camp into the household, and that he was not particularly informed about the details of the matter. If the two inspectors had questions, he respectfully asked them to wait until the Shizi returned to interrogate him further.

The inspector presiding over this matter bore the name Wang Mao, and was from the Wang family of Changxi itself — said to be a paternal cousin of General Wang Yun. The other inspector was called Meng Xingxue, a man of no aristocratic lineage, coming from a background of humble scholarly origins.

Wang Mao, upon hearing the prince plead ignorance, showed no irritation. Keeping a partial smile on his face, he offered what was seemingly a helpful reminder: “My Lord, you surely understand His Majesty’s deep and thorough hatred of these northern rebels. If the Shizi has been unwise, and has been led astray by the rebels’ seductive words, it is always better to speak of it first. That way, Inspector Meng and I may consider how best to handle matters — and preserve some dignity for the prince’s residence, would that not be right?”

Lord Beizhen kept an expression of puzzled incomprehension on his face and said: “May I ask the two inspectors — from what source did this wind blow, to say that my son has ties to the rebels?”

Inspector Meng Xingxue was just about to speak when Wang Mao cut him off without haste: “If you do not wish others to know, simply refrain from doing it. Someone has already written the Shizi’s affairs into a letter and reported it to the authorities. We, bearing responsibility for military oversight at Huicheng, dared not conceal it and reported it directly to His Majesty… I hear that the rebels’ cartloads of gold and silver were transported to the Qianxi supply camp, and my men have already begun counting at the Qianxi supply camp. Just now someone came to report that the volume of money is so large, the tallying cannot be completed in short order… My Lord, surely you would not say the Shizi moved the household’s own silver there himself?”

Lord Beizhen’s pupils contracted sharply upon hearing these words.

The truth was that Han Linfeng’s private relationship with Cao Sheng and those of his circle was something the prince himself did not know in detail. Such matters of personal bonds within the jianghu were not things Han Linfeng would speak of to his father. So when Lord Beizhen had originally heard that Han Linfeng had married a blind woman, he had been so angered — precisely because he was unaware of the arrangement whereby Su Luoyun was serving as Han Linfeng’s cover.

Now, hearing Wang Mao lay things out with such apparent specificity and detail, Lord Beizhen felt no more certainty within himself.

Wang Mao had spent many years in the Ministry of Justice and had a consummate skill in reading people. The moment he spotted something flickering in Lord Beizhen’s gaze that seemed like evasion, he felt at once that he had seized upon a crucial weak point.

Just as he leaned forward, about to press further, he caught sight of a slender young woman in a plain robe with her hair swept up in a high bun, carrying a tray of dark ebony wood, who glided gracefully into the reception hall.

She held the tray, dipped in a curtsy, and said: “Father-in-law, hearing that distinguished guests have arrived at the residence, I have specially prepared some Taiping Jianzhen tea for the honored gentlemen to enjoy.”

The speaker was none other than Su Luoyun.

The tea in her hands had just been freshly steeped — but she herself had been quietly listening from one side of the reception hall for some time already.

At the precise moment when the prince found himself unable to find words in response, she made her timely entrance, taking the tea from the small maidservant and stepping forward ahead of everyone, relieving the prince of his awkward predicament.

Lord Beizhen accepted her lead gracefully and at once added: “I received some new tea not long ago, and had nearly forgotten to offer it to the two gentlemen. Come, quickly — serve tea to these two honored inspectors.”

Wang Mao found his words interrupted and was most displeased. His face settled into a slight frown as he assumed an official tone: “There is no need for tea. Since the prince has nothing to say, may we trouble you to accompany us to the Qianxi supply camp in person, to oversee the counting of that silver directly?”

Although Lord Beizhen was of the imperial family’s bloodline, in the eyes of the Wang family of Changxi he was nothing but a dilapidated, declining branch. Wang Mao, certain he had seized a fatal hold over the Beizhen Prince’s residence, showed no deference whatsoever in his speech.

Then there came the Shizi’s consort — unhurriedly, she set the tea tray down at the table before the two gentlemen, and as she elegantly poured tea into the small cups, she asked: “What is the reason for auditing the silver at Qianxi? If the two inspectors wish to know, I can tell you.”

Her voice when she spoke was clear and lovely — but the moment the words fell, the entire room went silent, and everyone was rather taken aback.

Wang Mao’s eyes narrowed with excitement: this Shizi’s consort was said to be of humble origins, beautiful in appearance, and yet she seemingly lacked any presence of mind! Could it be that Han Linfeng had come into private wealth so suddenly that he could not resist boasting of it to his wife on the pillow?

Meanwhile Lord Beizhen felt a lurch of alarm within. His expression darkened as he said: “The gentlemen are speaking — what place is there for a woman to interrupt? Be quick and withdraw!”

But Wang Mao rose to his feet and blocked the way: “My Lord, what reason do you have to keep the Shizi’s consort from speaking? Surely you can read the imperial edict clearly? Inspector Meng and I are conducting an imperially-sanctioned investigation — anyone at all may be questioned!”

As he spoke those last words, all trace of his earlier pleasantness had vanished entirely, replaced by undisguised menace in his eyes.

At that very moment, the slender and delicate Shizi’s consort seemed as though she had indeed been frightened by his gaze. She pressed her pale, slender fingers lightly over her mouth and said timidly: “What? Did I say something important that should not be said?”

Wang Mao hastened to reassure her: “There is nothing that cannot be said — speak freely, and it will save the prince a tiresome journey.”

This Shizi’s consort, with all the simple guilelessness of a sheltered inner-household woman, said with a vaguely confused air: “Is it not simply a matter of the silver? Those several cartloads of silver were all lent by me to the Shizi — two thousand taels in total.”

Wang Mao’s eyes narrowed as he heard this: “Silver you lent? Such a sum — are you joking?”

Su Luoyun only smiled slightly, and said in an unhurried, offhanded manner: “I run fragrance shops in various places, with money flowing in steadily every month. Inspector, is that remark of yours not rather looking down on me? Do you think I cannot produce a mere two thousand taels of silver? If you do not believe it, send men to count — see for yourself whether it is two thousand taels or not!”

At that moment, Inspector Meng spoke up from the side: “Shizi’s consort, someone has stated that the silver at the Qianxi supply camp was a gift from the rebel leader Cao Sheng. There is also someone who claims to have seen Cao Sheng appear at the Maoxiang Money House in Huicheng, personally exchanging banknotes that were then transported to the Qianxi supply camp…”

Upon hearing this, Su Luoyun’s almond-shaped eyes grew wider and wider, and she could not help but break into astonished laughter: “At the time, the Shizi told me that he wanted to lure out the rebel Qiu Zhen and needed some silver to use as bait. The prince’s residence was a little short on funds, so he borrowed two thousand taels of refined silver from me, mixed in with some loose stones, loaded across ten carts that were transported in a constant back-and-forth, all to draw the enemy in. As to whether what I say is true or false, the inspectors need only go to the camp and ask… Furthermore, the banknote records at Maoxiang for the exchange should still be on file — that two thousand taels was deposited by way of banknote at the Maoxiang Money House in the capital and drawn out in Huicheng. There is no way to fabricate that… Heavens above! How has the money flowing through my shop come to be described as the assets of the rebel Cao Sheng? Are the ladies of various noble households who come to buy fragrance from my Shou Xiang Zhai every day… also all confederates of the rebel Cao Sheng?”

Since Inspector Wang had suggested that this silver seemed to be provided by the rebel Cao Sheng, following the money trail would naturally reveal that all of it had been earned from the noble ladies of the capital’s great households.

By that logic, the entire capital was full of Cao Sheng’s co-conspirators — including even Princess Yuyang, and many of the imperial consorts in the palace as well!

Wang Mao had originally thought he had seized upon Han Linfeng’s fatal weakness, and intended to guide the members of the Beizhen Prince’s household to deflect blame onto Zhao Dong in order to exonerate themselves.

That way, the Wang family of Changxi could reclaim military authority under a perfectly legitimate pretext.

But he had not anticipated in the slightest that this wealthy and unflappable Shizi’s consort would say with complete composure that the silver was money she herself had lent to the Qianxi supply camp to serve as bait.

Wang Mao was not yet ready to give up. He deliberately lowered his voice, fixed his gaze hard on Su Luoyun, and said: “Do you understand that Inspector Meng and I are conducting an imperially-sanctioned investigation? If you give false testimony, even as the daughter-in-law of the Beizhen Prince’s residence, you would not escape the death penalty…”

Before he could finish speaking, the Shizi’s consort’s almond eyes only grew wider and wider. She stared back at him with an expression of mounting suspicion: “First sending men to Qianxi to count the silver, and now trying to frighten a weak woman like myself… Can it be that someone has set their sights on my assets and is scheming to get their hands on my money? Let me make myself perfectly clear — when that silver left the money house, I had already had the Maoxiang Money House stamp the bottom of each piece with the mark of Shou Xiang Zhai. Even if someone wished to pull a switch and replace my silver with counterfeit goods, it would not work!”

Every word of this was delivered with the air of someone fiercely protective of their wealth, and she regarded the two inspectors with eyes full of wariness. Then, as if a thought had just struck her, she turned back and said: “Father-in-law, you had better take me along too. That is my silver — if I do not see it with my own eyes, I cannot be at ease!”